Danny Avila: “18 Is Just a Number.”

The road to EDC Las Vegas definitely has been a long and anxious one, but Insomniac has given the rest of the country some great partys on the way. Finally Citi Field actually had a bunch of people there, but unfortunately it wasn’t for the Mets. It was for some of the best DJs the world has to offer. Amongst these electronic idols, was one of Spain’s electronic sensations: Danny Avila. We got a chance to sit down with him after his EDC NY performance:

I’ve played a couple of EDC shows last year. I played Orlando and Puerto Rico. Man, the energy is just insane at every single show. Plus it’s New York and New York is just incredible with the energy. I’ve played here more than 10 times playing at local clubs and every time it’s just better and better and better. EDC plus New York? Boom!

Danny talked about dropping Kernkraft 400 by Zombie Nation during his set, and as a Bruins fan I was obviously ecstatic.

I usually play it pretty often, it’s a massive record. I love that record! It’s crazy because I’ve played that track all around the world. I’ve played it in Asia, Europe, America, everywhere, and every time I play it [the crowd] goes nuts.

If you got the chance to be in Ibiza last summer then it was impossible not to see him. At just 17 years old, his face was on nearly every billboard you’d pass on the way towards the south side of the island. What was once experimenting with electronic music, turned into wild summers in Ibiza.

To be honest, I didn’t expect it. I signed my first residency at Blue Marlin, which is a very cool beach club [in Ibiza], and then Tiesto invited me to play one show to open for him for his opening party at Pacha. It was just for one show and he liked it, so he invited me to play like ten more shows which was pretty sick. Then I played like 5 or 6 shows at Space as well. But that was an intense summer for me on the island. Plus I was touring all over Europe as well, so it was pretty hectic.

You may think of Danny as a new comer, but he’s been involved in music his whole life and worked hard to get to where he is today.

I’ve been involved in music forever. I started playing the violin when I was four or five years old. Then I played the piano for four years and then the guitar. So when I was 12, actually DJing was just one more instrument for me. I was a bit tired of classical music and piano and shit. So I saw some videos of DJTiesto and I was really curious so I bought a very simple controller which cost me about $40. So I just tried mixing, and started playing at friends birthday parties and playing at houses and stuff. And thats how it started. I started playing at some of the worst clubs you can ever imagine. But then, little by little it took off. But, it definitely took some time.

When people hear Danny Avila, a lot of times they think of how young he is and how successful he’s been as a young producer. But that doesn’t quite fly with Danny. He wants to be judged based on the quality of his music and feels it’s irrelevant if he’s 18 or 80.

In the end, 18 is just a number. So if you play EDC NY and you play main stage, if you’re 18 it doesn’t matter. If you’re 25 it’s not going to change. The crowd is not going to say, “Ok so he’s 18, I like him more because he’s young.” No way. You have to go on the stage and just kill it. You know? In the end, age doesn’t matter. You have to do the same thing as everyone does. Of course I’ve had to learn a lot, and I’m still learning, and I’m going to learn for, I hope, a lot of years. A lot of professional guys are up there. I mean R3hab has been doing this for so long, Tommy Trash for so long, Fedde le Grand for so long. Hardwell, I’ve known his tracks for like six years. So there’s a really really long way to go.

Whether you’re a fan or not, you have to respect his standing on that. And, when it comes down to it, he’s right. It doesn’t matter if someone is 18 or 80 because if the music coming out the speakers is garbage, the listeners are going to let you know and you definitely won’t be playing any EDC sets. I’d also like to point out that Danny knows he has a long way to go. Sure he’s found success already, but he’s not the type of kid to be satisfied with that. Striving for perfection is what makes the great people exceptional from the rest of the successful.

It would be one thing if he was just touring and sitting down in the studio in his spare time, but he also has a weekly radio show to work on. For those of you who think it’s easy to make a weekly show?

Man, it takes me time. It’s really hard to find 15-20 good tracks every single week. It takes me so much time. And I have to find time for the radio show, and to make my own music, plus I make so many mash ups. I just put everything together, promos that I get, mash ups that I make, music that I make, new tracks and mix everything together and that is Ready To Jump.

He’s not all about music though. He was once ranked 12th in the world in wake boarding back in 2007. You may think that’s irrelevant, but it just shows you how hard he works at whatever he does. He took it very serious, but stopped to pursue his love for music. And if you’re wondering what he’s up to now?

I’ve been working in the studio really hard. I just finished three or four tracks, and I’m still trying to finish a couple of more tracks. I have my weekly radio show, Ready To Jump, available on Soundcloud every week, broadcasted on Sirius XM. And I have a new Danny Avila TV on my YouTube channel. And I upload different types of episodes like when I travel, when I play different festivals, and I talk about everything on the road.

Special thanks to Danny for sitting down with us and taking some time to educate his fans a bit more. He’s a great DJ and we wish him the best. Don’t forget to check out Ready To Jump and Danny Avila TV.